I Want a Better Catastrophe: Navigating the Climate Crisis with Grief, Hope, and Gallows Humor

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(as of Sep 15, 2026 13:30:08 UTC – Details)

An existential manual for tragic optimists, can-do pessimists, and compassionate doomers

WITH GLOBAL WARMING projected to rocket past the 1.5°C limit, lifelong activist Andrew Boyd is thrown into a crisis of hope, and off on a quest to learn how to live with the “impossible news” of our climate doom.

He searches out eight leading climate thinkers ― from collapse-psychologist Jamey Hecht to grassroots strategist adrienne maree brown, eco-philosopher Joanna Macy, and Indigenous botanist Robin Wall Kimmerer ― asking them: “Is it really the end of the world? and if so, now what?”

With gallows humor and a broken heart, Boyd steers readers through their climate angst as he walks his own. From storm-battered coastlines to pipeline blockades and “hopelessness workshops,” he maps out our existential options, and tackles some familiar dilemmas: “Should I bring kids into such a world?” “Can I lose hope when others can’t afford to?” and “Why the fuck am I recycling?”

He finds answers that will surprise, inspire, and maybe even make you laugh in this insightful and irreverent guide for achieving a “better catastrophe.”

AWARDS

BRONZE | 2023 Living Now Book Awards: Social Activism / CharityGOLD | 2024 IPPY Awards: Current Events II (Social Issues/Humanitarian)

From the Publisher

Publisher ‏ : ‎ New Society Publishers
Publication date ‏ : ‎ February 14, 2023
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Print length ‏ : ‎ 416 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0865719837
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0865719835
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.35 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 1.02 x 9 inches
Best Sellers Rank: #711,352 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #145 in Science & Scientists Humor #283 in Political Advocacy Books #649 in Climatology
Customer Reviews: 4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars (81) var dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction; P.when(‘A’, ‘ready’).execute(function(A) { if (dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction !== true) { dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction = true; A.declarative( ‘acrLink-click-metrics’, ‘click’, { “allowLinkDefault”: true }, function (event) { if (window.ue) { ue.count(“acrLinkClickCount”, (ue.count(“acrLinkClickCount”) || 0) + 1); } } ); } }); P.when(‘A’, ‘cf’).execute(function(A) { A.declarative(‘acrStarsLink-click-metrics’, ‘click’, { “allowLinkDefault” : true }, function(event){ if(window.ue) { ue.count(“acrStarsLinkWithPopoverClickCount”, (ue.count(“acrStarsLinkWithPopoverClickCount”) || 0) + 1); } }); });
Customers find the book informative and highly recommend it, with one review noting how it brings in diverse voices and thinkers. They appreciate its humor, describing it as laugh-out-loud brilliant.